Two Louisiana students earned national recognition in the 2012 Letters About Literature writing competition. Ella Frantzen of Lafayette was selected as one of the four national honors recipients for Level 1 and Imogen Hoffman of Gretna was chosen as one of 16 finalists for Level 2.

Students are asked to write a personal letter to an author or poet, living or dead, explaining how that writer's work changed the student’s way of thinking about themselves or the world and how the chosen books impacted their life or worldview. Two national winners and four honors recipients are chosen for each of three grade-level categories: Level 1 (grades 4-6), Level 2 (grades 7-8) and Level 3 (grades 9-12).

The competition, which received approximately 70,000 entries, is conducted by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target. It is presented in cooperation with affiliated state centers, including the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana.

Louisiana’s first place winner for Level 1, Frantzen, wrote her winning letter to Fred Gipson, author of Old Yeller. Frantzen’s designated school library, Episcopal School of Acadiana Lower School Library, receives a $1,000 Target grant. Frantzen receives a $50 Target GiftCard in addition to other prizes already earned at the state level. Frantzen’s winning letter may be viewed at www.lettersaboutliterature.org.

Louisiana’s Level 2 winner, Hoffman, is a student at Ursuline Academy in New Orleans, and was chosen as one of 16 for her grade level. Hoffman wrote to author Avi about the novel, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.

The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana presents the Letters About Literature competition each year for Louisiana students. For more information, visit www.state.lib.la.us.